WTAQ

WTAQ

Green Bay, Wisconsin
Broadcast area	Northeastern Wisconsin
Frequency	1360 (kHz)
Branding	Newsradio 1360 WTAQ
Programming
Format	News/Talk
Affiliations	Fox News Radio Wall Street Journal
Ownership
Owner	Midwest Communications
Sister stations	WIXX, WNCY, WNFL, WOZZ, WROE, WZBY
History
First air date	September 4, 1923
Former call signs	WBAY, WGEE
Technical information
Facility ID	42086
Class	B
Power	10,000 watts (day) 5,000 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates	44°25′51″N 88°04′51″W
Links
Website	www.wtaq.com

WTAQ (1360 AM, "Newsradio 1360") is a news-talk radio station located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. WTAQ's frequency is 1360 kHz on the AM dial. The station is locally-owned and operated by Midwest Communications. WTAQ's studios and newsroom are located on Bellevue St. in the Green Bay suburb of Bellevue. The station's transmitter is located on Lost Dauphin Road, near the Fox River in De Pere.

History

WTAQ was originally licensed to Osseo, Wisconsin, on September 4, 1923 on the 1180 frequency. In 1930, the Gillette Rubber Co. bought the station and moved it to Eau Claire on the 1330 frequency. The Norbertine Fathers of St. Norbert College in De Pere, then-owners of WHBY, bought the station in 1940, changed its city of license to Green Bay, and moved its frequency to 1360, where it remains today. About a decade later, the call letters were changed to WBAY, corresponding with their television station and FM station. WBAY was an early affiliate of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), as was WBAY-TV.

In 1977, the Norbertine Fathers sold their broadcast properties including WBAY-AM, WBAY-FM (now WIXX), WHBY and WBAY-TV. WBAY-AM & WBAY-FM were sold to what would become Midwest Communications, while WHBY and WBAY-TV would go to separate owners. WBAY-AM's call letters were changed to WGEE and the FM station's calls became WIXX. Midwest also changed the station's network news affiliation to ABC.

For many years after the sale, WGEE played country music as well as local news, ABC network news, and agriculture reports. Due to the declining popularity of music on the AM band, the station began a gradual move towards News/Talk programming in 1996. The station's moniker became "News Radio 1360 WGEE". Music programming, apart from WGEE's Sunday morning polka programs, was completely gone from the station by the end of 1998.

Logo promoting WGEE website.

In the year 2000, the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh Show, moved to WGEE from sister station WNFL, which switched to a hot talk format. WNFL now carries a sports format. WNFL's affiliation with CBS also moved back to WGEE. The CBS affiliation would go back to WNFL, once again, when WTAQ picked up Fox News Radio on April 1, 2009.

In 2003, the historical WTAQ calls became available and WGEE decided to bring them back. The official change took place on March 17. Midwest Communications gave the WGEE calls to their ESPN Radio affiliate in Duluth, Minnesota.

At the 2007 Wisconsin Broadcasters Association "Awards for Excellence" ceremony, WTAQ was named "Station of the Year" and awarded "Best Morning Show of the Year". In addition, WTAQ took first place for "Best Sportscast or Report" and first place for "Best Use of Audio". WTAQ also received seven Merit Awards.^[1]

Programming

WTAQ airs mainly conservative talk shows including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, and Glenn Beck (weekends). The station also has a local "friendly" morning show, hosted by Mike Austin and Matt Z., called "Mike, Matt, and the Morning News" and a local issues-based talk show hosted by WTAQ's Program Director, Jerry Bader, which is simulcast on WHBL in Sheboygan, where Bader had been a Program Director, News Director, and talk show host until April 2004. During football season, "The Fifth Quarter", hosted by Mark Daniels and Nick Vitrano airs on the next evening after each Packers game. Other programs that air on the station include Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, First Light with Dirk Van, The Kim Komando Computer Show, and Moneytalk with Bob Brinker.

Local newscasts are heard on the station every half-hour from 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. during the work week, Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. WTAQ is an affiliate Fox News Radio, airing their national newscasts as well as sound from Fox within WTAQ's locally-originated casts. Business news from The Wall Street Journal can be heard weekday mornings on the station, with one minute updates at Noon and in the 5:00 p.m. hour. WTAQ does not currently carry a regularly-scheduled traffic report, but breaks into programming when necessary.

WTAQ has a news-sharing agreement with Green Bay's WLUK-TV (and airs their local weather forecasts) and radio stations WTMJ in Milwaukee, WHBL in Sheboygan, and WSAU in Wausau. These stations collaborate to provide state-wide news coverage and share audio and other resources.

In addition to WTAQ's news and talk programming, the station is an affiliate of Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers play-by-play broadcasts, which are produced by WTMJ. Brewers day games during the work week are aired on WTAQ's sister station, WNFL.

WTAQ personalities

• Mike Austin: Agricultural reports and host of "Mike, Matt, and The Morning News"
• Jerry Bader: Host of "The Jerry Bader Show" and Program Director of WTAQ
• Mark Daniels: Sports Director and host of "The Fifth Quarter"
• Jeff Flynt: News Anchor/Reporter
• Doug Higgins: Weekend weather (from WLUK-TV)
• Robert Kennedy: News Director/Anchor/Reporter
• Trevor Kubiak: News Anchor/Reporter
• Chuck Lakefield: Host of "Ask the Expert" and "Here's What's Happening"
• Larry McCarren: Green Bay Packers coverage (Monday mornings during football season)
• Scott Patrick: News Anchor/Reporter
• Pete Petoniak: Morning weather (from WLUK-TV)
• Patrick Powell: Afternoon and evening weather (from WLUK-TV)
• Andrew Thut: Weather forecasts (from WLUK-TV)
• Nick Vitrano: Host of "The Fifth Quarter"
• Matt Zee: Host of "Mike, Matt, and The Morning News"

References

• "Midwest Communications Breaks Ground for New Broadcast Center Today" (from WTAQ News)
• History of Wisconsin AM Stations
• "Packers, Brewers making AM moves" (from Green Bay Press-Gazette)
• Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Award Winners
• Wisconsin Broadcasting.com: TV & Radio Callsign Meanings

External links

• Newsradio 1360 WTAQ
• Midwest Communications
• Click here to see a map of WTAQ's transmitter site
• Template:AMQ
• Template:AML
• WTAQ in Nielsen Audio's AM station database